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Jumping spider At first I thought this was a wolf spider because of the markings, however bugguide suggests it's a jumping spider in the Salticidae family. It is approximately 1.5 to 1.75 cms in body length. It does like vertical surfaces, however I saw it walk, not jump. I can't find an exact match with the body markings. Anyone have a suggestion?  Thanks. Geotagged,Plexippus paykulli,United States,Winter Click/tap to enlarge Country intro

Jumping spider

At first I thought this was a wolf spider because of the markings, however bugguide suggests it's a jumping spider in the Salticidae family. It is approximately 1.5 to 1.75 cms in body length. It does like vertical surfaces, however I saw it walk, not jump. I can't find an exact match with the body markings. Anyone have a suggestion? Thanks.

    comments (5)

  1. Try comparing to Plexippus paykulli. Posted 4 years ago
    1. Thanks so much, Christine. I believe that matches pretty well. Posted 4 years ago
      1. Yay, you're welcome! It has a nice pattern! Posted 4 years ago
  2. Nice find, Deb!

    You can pretty reliably identify the family of spiders by their eye arrangement, check out this handy diagram:
    https://d1b2zzpxewkr9z.cloudfront.net/user_images/fe2fca056c1ec0e4fe8e69863c7238d73fccb352/687474703a2f2f692e696d6775722e636f6d2f5343354f666e532e6a7067

    Furthermore, note that Salticidae literally means jumping spiders, so it's not a family of jumping spiders, it ALL jumping spiders.

    In terms of behavior, jumping spiders are easy to distinguish. Some are as tiny as 3-5mm yet by the way they move you can instantly tell its a jumping spider even if it appears as just a small black dot to your eyes. They are very active, exploring, running, occasionally jumping. Most spiders don't do this, they sit in a web or ambush.

    Hope this helps!
    Posted 4 years ago, modified 4 years ago
  3. Thanks, Ferdy. I guess what confused me the most is the size. I did post another species of jumping spider a few weeks ago and it was very small compared to this one. I appreciate your advice and you sending me the link. Posted 4 years ago

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''Plexippus paykulli'' is a jumping spider in the family Salticidae. It is native to south east Asia but has spread to other parts of the world. In the United States it is called the pantropical jumping spider. It is usually associated with buildings and may be found near light sources catching insects attracted by the light. It is named in honor of Gustaf von Paykull.

Similar species: Spiders
Species identified by DebRich
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By DebRich

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Uploaded Sep 10, 2020. Captured Dec 23, 2011 10:23 in 846 Avant Ave, San Antonio, TX 78210, USA.
  • NIKON D5100
  • f/5.6
  • 1/30s
  • ISO200
  • 300mm